Speakers expressed their disappointment that after so many years of independence we are unable to meet the basic requirement of poor people including adivasis. It is sad that after 62 years of independence there is no vision for adivasi development

ADIVASIS ARE amongst the most marginalized groups in India, in spite of constitutional laws devised to protect their interests. In order to discuss ways to improve the political position of adivasis in modern society, the Adivasi Resource Centre, part of the National Centre for Advocacy Studies (NCAS), held a ‘National Consultation on Adivasis of India: Emerging Themes, Issues and Challenges’ at the India Islamic Cultural Centre, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi on December 15 and 162009.

In
Focus

The key note address was delivered by Padma Shri Tulasi Munda. She expressed her disappointment that even after so many years of independence we are still unable to meet the basic requirement of poor people including adivasis of our country.

Tsering Samphel, Member of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, said that it is sad that even after 62 years of independence we don’t have a vision for adivasi development. However, he thanked the constitution for giving the tribes, opportunities for higher education through reservation. Activists from various states of the country during the consultation raised issues affecting the tribal people of the country like dispossession of land, violence, poverty, loss of identity. The draft National Tribal Policy, which was supposed to provide vision for Adivasi development, was questioned by the panelists. Ganesh Devy, Director of BHASHA asked whether it is a policy for the development of tribals or a tribal policy for national development?

P. V. Rajgopal from Ekta Parishad said that “British had colonized us and we have colonized the adivasis. We are destroying their supermarket (forest) to build our supermarket”. He said that there lies a huge challenge in front of us as to how we are going to help the tribals from dying due to state violence. It is also a challenge not only for Adivasis but for all sections of the society to save ourselves from the ill effects of globalization and liberalization”.